Abstract

Background

Full-dose concurrent platinum-based doublet chemotherapy and 2 Gy/day radiotherapy is the first choice treatment for most patients with stage III NSCLC. No prospective data are available on the acute toxicity of full-dose chemotherapy and high-dose hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy. Here we report on a subset of patients included in the PET-boost trial that could not be randomised because dose escalation to the primary tumour over 72 Gy/ 24 fractions was not possible because of OAR constraints.

Methods

Patients received cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on day 1 and etoposide 100 mg/m2 on days 1-3 every 21 days for a total of three cycles. At day 1 of the second chemotherapy cycle, radiotherapy to the primary tumour and the involved lymph nodes was delivered (66 Gy /24 QD fractions of 2.75 Gy). Toxicity was evaluated weekly and scored according to CTCAE3.0. We considered the treatment safe when at maximum 5/12 developed G3 acute toxicity, reversible in at least 4/5 within 8 weeks post-therapy.